Dunkin Donut's Caramel Iced Latte Swap

The idea for this concoction came after one my challengers came to me stating that she thought she wouldn't be able to give up her morning routine - a Dunkin Donut's Iced Caramel Latte.  So I did a little investigating and it turns out EVEN with skim milk a medium iced latte is: 270 calories with 55g of sugar!  No matter how you are eating or what workouts you are doing, this will KILL your hard work!

Give this swap out a try!  If you are grabbing this on your way to work, just bring two small tupperware dressing containers - one of your creamer, and one of your sweetener.  Feel free to play with different sweeteners and creamers to get it just how you like!  Be sure to ask for a size medium placed in a large cup!

If you do WW, the points are: 1 (versus 14!!!)

Ingredients:

• Medium black iced coffee in a LARGE cup (I like to ask for an extra shot of espresso!)
• 3 tbsp SO Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer Original
• Torani Sugar Free Salted Caramel Syrup - to taste

xoxo.

21 Day Fix Hashbrown & Bacon Breakfast Bowl

EASY PEASY and sooooo filling!  I was able to whip this breakfast up in less than 15 minutes.  If you are on the go, you could easily make a few servings on your day off and store in tupperware containers!

For the 21 Day Fix this meal is: 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green
WW: 5 Smart points

Ingredients:

• 1 serving of Trader Joe's Frozen Riced Cauliflower (or any riced cauliflower, about 3/4 cup)
• 2 pieces of chopped uncured turkey bacon (I use Wegman's Organic Fully Cooked Uncured Turkey Bacon)
• 1 egg
• 1 serving of Alexia's frozen hashbrowns (these are just frozen shredded potatoes!)
• PAM
• garlic (I used crushed garlic, but garlic powder would be fine!)
• Sea salt (optional, to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat pan on medium, once hot spray with PAM and add potatoes, cauliflower, and garlic
2. Once these start to cook and brown a bit add chopped turkey bacon
3. Cook about 7 minutes until potatoes and cauliflower are fully cooked and slightly browned, crack egg into center of pan
4. Stir until egg is fully cooked
5. Serve and enjoy!

xoxo.

Summer Challenge Group!

All I can say is WOW.  Our May challenge group kicked off yesterday and I am already blown away by everyone's motivation and accountability!  These ladies are killing it already and are so supportive of each other! It is going so great that others are asking to join - but our small group numbers are what make these challenges work so well! That being said, I decided to open up a SECOND May challenge group!

The deadline to apply is this Friday, May 6th!  You can apply by emailing me at angela_0926@icloud.com or by filling out this quick application here!

Each online challenge group offers you:

• 100% accountability
• Superfoods
• Meal plan
• Meal prep tips and ideas
• Daily workouts
• 24/7 motivation
• 1 on 1 support
• The ability to join a team of inspirational and encouraging women!

Can't wait to hear from you guys and see what everyone is capable of! xoxo. 

Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail!

I know pretty much everyone has heard the phrase, "fail to plan, plan to fail."  As overused as it may be, it is so so true!  Whenever I don't stick to a plan (whether it be nutrition, workouts, work related...) I try to look back and see what threw me off course.  When it comes to nutrition it is ALWAYS about lack of planning.  Many times when I don't feel like cooking I will think "oh I will just get a salad and grilled chicken at work tomorrow!" Yep, 9/10 times that doesn't happen!  Orrrrrr, I come home from work and I am famished - nothing in the fridge? OK I grab something EASY that doesn't fit my day! So you get the idea, planning is key.

The above prep gives me about 3 days worth a food give or take.. I have a few days off in a row on Monday, so I didn't need to cram too much prepping in today.   All of this legit took about an hour to prepare (not including cook time for crockpot!)

• Sliced strawberries
• Baby carrots
• Hummus
• Yogurt
• Turkey Bacon (applegate - uncured, nitrate free!)
• Roasted cauliflower and broccoli
• Spinach mix
• Steamed shrimp (Buy it cooked, peeled, and frozen - throw a few servings in a tupperware and place in fridge - within 6 or so hours it will be ready to go!)
• Rice/bean mixture
• "Chipotle Style Chicken" in the crockpot!

Not Pictured that will definitely be included in my day:

• Almond butter
• Shakeology + almond milk
• Sweet potatoes (I buy the bag of mini sweet potatoes that you can microwave right in the bag, easy peasy!)

I have a crazy schedule, if I can fit this into my routine, so can you! xoxo.

Another Round of the 21 Day Fix... Day 1!

Heyyyy lovies.  So I decided to do another round of the 21 day fix since a few of my challengers for the upcoming group are going to be doing it for the first time! I am going to do my best on documenting my meals and workouts on here so that it can give you guys a few good ideas on meal plans, recipes, and snack ideas!

So here goes day one!

Workout: Full Body Cardio Fix

Breakfast: Cafe Latte Shakeology + Unsweetened vanilla almond milk blended with some ice cubes - legit tastes like a Starbuck's frappucino.

Snack: Yogurt

Lunch: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

(recipe here!)

Snack: 

Dinner: Shrimp stir-fry, half brown rice and half riced cauliflower 

Dessert: Two servings of fresh berries and almond butter, yummmmmm!

Hope this helps when you run out of ideas for meal prep!  Until tomorrow... xoxo!

21 Day Fix Buffalo Chicken Pizza

YUM.  Who doesn't love pizza or buffalo chicken?!  Now you get the best of both worlds and it is bikini body friendly :) 

For 21 Day Fix: 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 blue

Ingredients:

-1 ezekiel tortilla

-1 red container of chopped grilled chicken (I used my leftover chicken from the night before.  Before I grill mine, I like to marinate the chicken in Frank's hot sauce, then grill it!)

-1/2 green container of chopped spinach

-1/2 green container of pre-made fresh salsa (I buy the kind in the produce section!)

-1 blue container of shredded cheese

-Frank's hot sauce

Directions:

1. Turn your oven broiler on high and place tortilla shell on baking sheet in oven. Keep your eye on tortilla (it can burn SUPER fast!) Flip over halfway through, approximately two minutes on each side.

2. When tortilla is finished, top with cheese.

3. Add a few dashes (or 1/2 the bottle, haha) of Frank's to the chicken, then place chicken on top of cheese.

4. Broil tortilla for a few more minutes until cheese is melted and chicken warmed.

5. Chop spinach and toss with fresh salsa, top the tortilla with this mixture.  

6. Slice in 4's and enjoy! 

xoxo. 

Red Thai Curry Beef + Cauliflower Rice

All I have to say is... OH.. EM.. GEE..  This is the best recipe red curry ever, and I have tried a million!  This is so hearty and comforting, yet has such a light balance of bright flavors that this dish is perfect for all seasons!

You can find the recipe here - I just swapped out the full fat coconut milk for light coconut milk!  I served it with riced cauliflower (TIP: Trader Joe's sells riced raw cauliflower in their frozen veggie section! Microwave the cauliflower and toss with a little lime juice, sea salt, and chopped cilantro, YUM!)

xoxo.

Getting Beach Ready!

This fall and winter have been terrible... scratch that, HORRENDOUS.  For whatever reason I got outta the swing of things and let my new schedule get the best of me.  Needless to say, I gained a ton of weight!  Since my new work schedule is pretty hectic I knew I had to go back to shorter, intense workouts so I reached out to an old friend to sign me back up with beachbody!  Yes, a little disclaimer - I AM now a beachbody coach, however that doesn't change my results.

Being a nurse, I get up at 5:30 a.m. and I don't get home until after 8 p.m., by the time I am home I have ZERO energy.  When researching on workouts that were condensed I came across beachbody and fell in love!  I get up 45 minutes earlier (15 minutes to wake up and have coffee, 30 to get my workout on!) and my life has been forever changed! In just two short months I lost 15 lbs and I fit into jeans that I couldn't even fit my big toe into months before.  Not to mention my energy is through the roof!

Here is a little before and after...

I am still not quite where I want to be, but if I could do this in 2 months, I can easily kick some booty and be at my goal by June!  That being said, I need a little motivation and I am hoping that YOU will join me.  My next challenge group begins May 2nd!  Email me with any questions on how you can join our team in the next online accountability group at angela_0926@icloud.com!

Looking forward to chatting and getting beach ready with you! xoxo.

Vanilla + Almond Combo Plus a Little Pilates!

Shewww.  I had Pilates scheduled on my active rest day today... Little did I know that it was going to have my abs and booty on FIRE.  Anyhoo, I am glad I squeezed my workout in early as today is going to be a LONG one.  This morning I got the kids up and made them breakfast before my fiancé scurried them off to school.  I work evening shift at the hospital from 3-11:30 tonight and before then I have a million errands to run (fun errands at least!)

So for the past few years, the only Shakeology I ever ordered was chocolate because it is too darn good.  I got a little crazy this past month and switched up my order and decided to go with the barista pack, you get a box of chocolate, mocha, and vanilla.  I am SUPER happy I did!  The mocha tastes like a Starbuck's Frappucino (duhhh, I am a huge coffee lover!) and the vanilla is so versatile it goes with almost anything! The vanilla + almond butter combo I whipped up this morning was to die for and perfect after my pilates workout.

Ingredients:

-1 scoop or packet of vanilla Shakeology
-1-1.5 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or your milk preference)
-4 ice cubes
-1 tbsp of almond butter (nut butter of your choice)

Then just blend away! Yummo!

Now I am headed to check off my laundry list of to-do's today! xoxo.

My Grocery List

In my house it truly is all about balance and moderation.  In my early 20s I suffered from yo-yo dieting and binge eating due to restrictive eating habits.  For the past few years, our home eats for the most part clean, yet we make room for the things we crave.  This has totally ended my binge eating!  So I wake up in the morning and can't stop thinking about Five Guys Burgers and Fries, what do I do?  For dinner I will make some type of "healthified" version of burgers AND fries!  Here is a peek at some staples in my home!

Produce:
-cucumbers (remove skin and slice up immediately to put in fridge for cucumber water and "chips" for my hummus)
-tomatoes (because duh.. burgers... BLTs...)
-spinach (chop it up for salads! or add to smoothies)
-asparagus (my favorite ever! throw in the oven with a teensy bit of EVOO + salt and pepper and call it a day!)
-avocado (no explanation needed!)
-baby red skinned potatoes
-organic sliced bell peppers and onions (yep, I'm lazy)
-jalapeno peppers 

Dry Goods:
-water and lots of it! (our new thing is to buy a few of the big jugs, and add different variations of fruits and mint to them)
-almond thins, special k sea salt chips, thin rice cakes (any type of crunchy chip for my hummus)
-honest kid juice boxes (for the kiddos)
-rice (I like to make a few portions at once so I can toss into tupperware containers for my lunches at work + protein + veggie)
-arnold sunflower + flax bread (only 80 cals a slice!)

Dairy:
-SO delicious Coconut Creamer (for my coffee - I am a coffee addict!)
-Unsweetened almond milk (for my shakeology!!! all day every day!)
​-eggs (yes, i eat the WHOLE egg)
-Trader Joe's Light 3 Cheese Shredded Blend (THEE BEST low-fat cheese ever!)
-light laughing cow spreads (good for toast, eggs, wraps, you name it!)
-Fage 0% greek yogurt

Meat:
-Laura's 96% lean ground beef (I did mention Five guys earlier...)
-Extra lean turkey
-Extra lean boneless chicken breast
-Pork Tenderloin

Frozen:
-1/2 the fat Edy's Ice cream (I told ya, it is about balance for us!)
-yasso greek yogurt ice cream bars
-Alexia's 98% fat free french fries (ahem.. Five Guys.)

So this is just an example of a typical grocery list in OUR home.  This is what works for us, and how I can lose weight or maintain my weight without losing my mind! xoxo.